Whenever a cable whether for an in line splice or a butt splice needs to be opened up to access the internal optical fibers, sealing of the cable is a difficult and necessary operation. Often times a smaller drop optical fiber cable will need to be spliced into the trunk optical fiber cable in an enclosure which must be large enough to provide room for the splicing of the fiber, organizing loose fiber and protecting associated electronics where applicable. Sealing such an ,enclosure becomes difficult as the size of the enclosure increases. An in line enclosure presents additional complications because there are at least two end seals instead of the one end seal in a butt splice closure, as well as perhaps one or more long longitudinal seams running between the end seals.
Thus, it would be highly desirable to have an end seal which is adaptable to be used in either a butt splice or an in-line enclosure where reentry is often necessary. In addition, it would be highly desirable to have an end seal that, once assembled, permits the addition of drop cables to be added to the closure without the need to reconstruct the end seal or to require room to drill an additional aperture which may damage the enclosure electronics or optical fibers. Additionally, it is desirable to have a closure that does not require special and expensive tools. Finally, it would be highly desirable to have an end seal which can be effectively utilized to form a butt splice or in line closure where the seal can be formed in the absence of elevated temperatures as are often used with heat shrinkable sealing materials. A further desirable feature would be the ability to mount the in-line closure either aerially or in an underground vault with a hanging member which can be adapted to grounding if necessary as well as adaptable for use with either the aerial support wire or the underground pipe hanger.